Have you ever wondered how your cell phone or laptop keeps running once you unplug it? Sure, it is the battery that makes your portable electronics work, but how exactly does a battery do that, and from where does the electricity come? Generally, in a battery chemical energy is converted into electrical energy. In fact, many different types of batteries exist that are all based on a different set of chemical reactions. In this science project, you will explore a special battery variant called…
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Chem_p107

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

Some knowledge of basic chemistry and familiarity with the concept of electrochemistry would be helpful.

Material Availability

This science project requires specialty electronics items. A structure is available. Estimated time required includes time for shipping the kit.

Cost

Average ($40 - $80)

Safety

Hydrogen peroxide can irritate the skin and eyes. When working with this chemical, make sure to wear eye and skin protection in case of any splashes or spills. In case of chemical contact, rinse skin or eyes immediately with plenty of water.

Pennies are bright and shiny when they are new, but become quite dull with time. What causes such a drastic change? Oxygen in the air combines with the copper in the penny to form copper oxide, which makes the penny look dull and dingy. You can make the pennies look like new again by soaking them in water that is corrosive enough to strip off the copper oxide layer. It turns out, however, that the same process that makes the pennies shiny has bad consequences when it comes to copper pipes: it…
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Chem_p090

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

A copper test kit and other specialty supplies needed for this project are available through the .

Alka-Seltzer® tablets fizz furiously when dropped into water. The moment the tablet starts dissolving, a chemical reaction occurs that releases carbon dioxide gas. Can you make Alka-Seltzer fizz faster or slower by changing the temperature of the water? How big of a difference in the rate of a chemical reaction can temperature make?
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Chem_p027

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

Adult supervision may be needed when working with hot water solutions.

If you have ever prepared a cup of coffee or tea with sugar, you have probably seen that the grains of sugar quickly dissolve and completely disappear in hot water. But sugar is not the only type of solid that can readily dissolve in a liquid. In fact, there are some types of rocks that can be dissolved by common liquids. It might be hard to imagine large, hard rocks being eaten away by some ordinary fluids, right? But it actually happens all the time! In this geology science project, you will…
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Geo_p047

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Time Required

Long (2-4 weeks)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Small limestone rocks are needed to do this science project. See the Materials and Equipment list for details. Note: The listed time required to do this science project includes shipping time.

In this project, water fleas (Daphnia magna), a semi-transparent freshwater crustacean, are used to study the effects of caffeine on heart rate. Don't worry about having to learn how to take a crustacean's pulse: you can actually see the heart beating under a microscope. Many variations of this experiment are possible.
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Zoo_p048

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

You will need a microscope for observing Daphnia closely enough to monitor heart rate. Either a dissecting microscope or a compound microscope with low-power objective and a depression slide could be used.

Have you seen plankton? I am not talking about the evil villain trying to steal the Krabby Patty recipe from Mr. Krab. I am talking about plankton that live in the ocean. In this experiment you can learn how to collect your own plankton samples and see the wonderful diversity in shape and form of planktonic organisms.
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OceanSci_p010

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Very Low (under $20)

Safety

Requires parental supervision and use of water safety practices when collecting water samples from piers, docks, boats, and shorelines.

Have you ever made your own ice cream? If you have, you probably know that you need to get the ice cream mixture really cold to freeze it quickly. Ice cubes alone will not do the job, but if you add chemicals, such as salt or sugar, to the ice cubes that surround the ice cream container, the mixture gets cold enough to freeze. Why does that work? How does adding salt or sugar affect the freezing point of water? Find out with this ice-cold science project and use your results to make your own…
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FoodSci_p013

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Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

Understanding the concepts of molecular weight and moles.

Material Availability

A kit for this project is available from the .

Cost

Average ($40 - $80)

Safety

Be careful when handling the glass test tubes. Exposing them to very cold temperatures or rapid temperature changes makes them more vulnerable to breakage, especially when they get bumped or handled roughly.

Instant cold packs are popular with coaches and parents for treating minor bumps and bruises. The instant cold packs are not pre-cooled—you just squeeze the cold pack and its starts to get cold. So how does it work? In this chemistry science fair project, you will investigate the chemical reaction that occurs in instant cold packs.
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Chem_p081

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Time Required

Average (6-10 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

A few specialty items, including instant cold packs containing ammonium nitrate, are needed.

Cost

Average ($50 - $100)

Safety

Adult supervision is required. Ammonium nitrate is potentially hazardous, wear gloves and safety goggles when working with it. Avoid contact with skin and eyes.

Have you ever experienced heartburn after eating a large, greasy meal? Or have you heard of someone complaining about heartburn pains? It's very common; over 60 million people in the U.S. have heartburn at least once every month. Heartburn pain usually results from stomach acids escaping from the stomach and irritating the esophagus above it. Luckily, there are medical drugs, called antacids, which can help relieve heartburn pain. But how do antacids work, and how effective are they? In this…
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BioMed_p010

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- Less Details

Time Required

Short (2-5 days)

Prerequisites

None

Material Availability

Readily available

Cost

Low ($20 - $50)

Safety

Wear safety goggles and gloves and have an adult help you when handling and working with the artificial stomach acid solution.
Hydrochloric acid is corrosive to hands and eyes.

You can find this page online at: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/search.shtml?v=solt&pi=EnvSci_p014&p=2

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